The River Cray in the St Mary Cray area was a horrific site on 15th June as a wall of detergent foam swept down the river.
The foam was 7ft high according to witnesses. Michael Birch of St Mary Cray said, “As I walked down Brook Lane I looked across to the old Nash’s Paper Mill Lake which is popular with fishermen. It had completely disappeared from view. The foam was as high as the bridge I was standing on. It was like a lot of washing-up liquid from a washing machine. I was really astounded to see it.”
The Environment Agency are investigating. A spokesman said, “A quantity of detergent from a local company got into their surface water systems and found its way into the River Cray. We became aware of the pollution last Friday afternoon after being contacted by a member of the public. Dozens of fish have been killed as a result and the water will take some time to clear as detergent is not an easy substance to remove. We have identified the source and there is an investigation into this with the possibility of a prosecution at the end of it.”
More: ‘The Kentish Times’
